Aeroplane



l A l1,538,531 F. VERDAGUER l AEROPLANE l Fned'nec. s, 1922 3 sheets-sheet 1 May 19, 19275.

May 19, 1925. y 1,538,531

F. VERDAGUER AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 5, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Auf;

May 19,- 1925.

1,538,531 F. VERDAGUER AERCPLANE Filed Dec. 5, 1922 3 Sheets-Shadi'. 5

, f 4/ A www, 2f

Patented May 19, 1925.

1,533,531 PATENT OFFICE..

UNITED s'rxres| A FRANCISCO VERDAGUEB, 0F BALAGUER, SPAIN.

AEnoPLAiNE.

Application led December 5, 1922. 'Serial No. 605,108.

To all whom it may concemr VBe it known that ,1, FRANCISCO VERDA- GUER, a subject of the King of Spain, and residing at Balaguer, Province of Lerida, Spain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aeroplanes having front and back wings mounted on transverse axes on each side of the machine.

The object of the present invention is to provide mechanism whereby the wings are so interconnected as to effect an automatic balancing of the lifting forces on them,

while allowing the inclinations of the wings to be partly or Wholly controlled by the pilot.

It has already been proposed to construct.

anv aeroplane in which a divided front wing and a back wing mounted on transverseaxes were adapted to be moved by cables attached to a multiple-armed lever, an intermediate point of which was attached to a cord which was under the influence of a spring, whereby the inclinations of the wings were automatically controlled.

The present invention consists in an improved`aeroplane, in which front and back' wings mounted on transverse axes on each side of the machine are adapted to be moved by tie-rods attached to a steering plate which is mounted by means of a universal joint upon a tube whose position is adapted to be controlled by the pilot, whereby the pilot may control the position of said tubel so as to' allow the inclinations imparted to the Wings to be distributed automatically between all of the wings, or alternatively by directly acting upon the steering plate the pilot l.may control the distribution of the liftiug power between the` wings.

In the preferred form of my invention the wings are combined with an4 elastically balanced steering wheel, inclinable and movable at'the will of the pilot. According to the position assumed by the hand wheel the wings receive'the requisite movement for aiding the manoeuvre which the aeroplane is to execute.

Under those conditions the wings operate ,just as if they were ruflders connected to the ends of the aeroplane fuselageand distributed symmetrically on each of its sides.

Moreover the aeroplane is fitted for landing purposes, with two front wheels and two back wheels. The frontl wheels can be` steered at the will of the pilot, and the back wheels are tted with brakes so as to faciliground, and unable the pilot to steer the aeroplane like a motor-car.

Furthermore, the improved aeroplane comprises a helm likewise steerable at the will of the pilot for facilitating the manoeuvres of the aeroplane. y

One construction of an aeroplane com rising the improvements forming the su jectof this invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in Whichzy Figure 1 is a plan of the improved aeroplane.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure Sis a front view thereof, and- Figure 4 is a longitudinal section on the line IV-IV of Figure 1.

As. shown, the improved aeroplane consists of the fuselage 22 which has the usural and suitable form and is fitted with an engine 26. and screw propeller 27 at its front part, and with another engine 2 6 and screw propeller 27 at its rear part. The improved aeroplane has four wings at its forepart,

and four others at its rear part, arranged two and two on each side of the body. The top front wings 1, 2 rock on an axle 41 arabove the supports 21 fixed to the fuselage. The lower wings 1 2, rock on an axle 41 arranged in the lower part of the supports 21. The top wings are articulated to the lower ones by means of connecting rods 47 in such a manner that the movement executed'by each top wing is exactly parallel to the movement executed by the corresponding lower wing, so that both wings have alranged transversely at a suitable height ways the same angle of incidence at the. same The upper-and lower wings 3, 4, 3', 4 at i the rear part are mounted in a similar manner; they rock on transverse axles 43, are supported by fixed supports 21. The upper wings are jointed to the lower wings by means of stanchions 48 at the points 44, and the lower wings carry a lever 46 which is jointed to the tie-rod 45. The latter is jointed in its turn to the bell-crank lever 51 which is pivoted by means of apivot-pin 40 to the screw-threaded tie-rod 30 bearing upon the steerin wheel 24 by means of a nut 23. The lixe supports 21 are suitably al'- tached likewise to the fuselage by means of,

Vexternal screwthread on which screws a pulley 31 maintained in the` part 22 of the fuselageby means of the ball bearings 12. The cable 6, passing through the groove of the pulley 31, receives the steering movement in order that it may be situated at the hand of the pilot so that thel latter, by operating the cable 6, is able to cause the pulley 31 to revolve in the proper direction for making, the plate 24 rise or fall.

The cup 25 of the ball-and-socket joint 25 is suitably attached to the end of a spring 7 `which bears at its opposite end against the abutment 10 of the spindle 8 and is adjustable bv means of the nut 8 which bears upon the closed end 15 of the' tube 15. The inner tube 11 is also closed at its upper end 9, allowing onlythe passage of the spindle 8, in order that, in the case of the spring 7 breaking, the abutment 10 .shall bear against the closed end' 9 of the tube 11, and the steering of the aeroplane shall` not be Wholly lost. k

Upon the steering plate 24there bear the nuts 23, 23 for, adjusting the tie-rods 30-30 which transmit the movements lof the front wings or to theback wings through the medium of/th'e respective bellcrank levers 51, 51. Moreover, the position of the'plate 24' is balanced bythe springs 14 which are attached at one end to the thimbles 14' jointed to the base`16- ofthe central stern 16, and are attached at their upper ends to the thimbles ofthe spindles; 13. and are tensioned by means of the nuts `.13 bearing upon the plate 24. The support 22" for this entire steering mechanism, forms part of' the'fuselage of the aeroplane, and has stops 18 at suitable points "for the pur- :pose of preventing theasteering of the aeroplane fromwgetting out oflh'and in ,the case of the screwthreaded tube 15 having risen too high. Likewise this tube has stops 1f? forpreventing the plate 24 from losing its position of control in the case where the tubel 11 shall have risentoo high, while, cables 19 are provided between the support 22 and the plate 24 for the purpose of preventing the plate 24 from dropping in the case of the spring 7 having become damaged or when, by reason of a wrong manoeuvre, the wings have acquired a dangerous negative angle.

In order to facilitate the descent of the aeroplane in those 'cases of damage, the stops 17 and 18 are arrangedflower at the front part than at the rear, so that the aeroplane shall automatically descend with/ a planing movement, the stops being calculated to enable the Wings to remain in the proper position.

The spring 7 acts equally upon all ghe wings atone time-,and the springs 14- are intended to balance or compensate elastically the di'erence in the pressure orweight borne by each group of wings, for which purpose the tension of the springs is adjustable by means of the'nuts 13. Since the tie-rods 30, 30 are adjustable by means of the nuts 23, '23', it`will be perceived that the steering is elastic and-adjustable in-all its details. i

If the speed diminishes much, the pressure underneath the wings will be smaller than the force of the springs 7, and then the plate 24 will rise until it strikes the stops 17, and since the front stops are lower than the back stops, the steering plate will compel the wings to assume the slope corresponding to a planing descent. In the same manner the stops 18 will operate in the case where the tube 15 happens to rise excessively, thereby preventing in all cases the wings from assumlng a prejudicial angle.

In order to assure that the aeroplane shall vwork with the improvements forming ,the-

subject of this patent, the two engine lgroups 26, 26 are started; the aeroplane is released from the brakes, and it moves over the ground; it is steered by means of the pedal 34, 35 until it has .acquired the requisite yspeed for flight, at which moment the plate 24 is caused to rise by means of the p'ulley 31 which starts the transmissions. to the levers 46,` 46 of the front and Aback wings Whichare inclined in proportion `to the distancetraversed by the steering plate for lflight, through a greater or smaller angle of incidence as'required, whichxdepends on the weight, yarea and speed of the aeroplane, etc., Wherefore the pilot will cease to rotate the pulley 31 at the Ainstant whenthe de-i 'sired impulse or ascent is attained.- a

Since it is desirable to get'a perfect e ui libriumv of the aeroplane, the pilot, with iis.

hard, moves lthe steeringv plate ,24; thus producing equilibrium byfinclining thev saidl plate in thesame senseasthat which it. is desired to impart to the aeroplane. f

If the case should occur. when the aeroplane is flying normally that the plate24 does not remain parallel to the pulley 34, this parallelism is obtained by means of the nuts 23, and when once centralized, the same i operation is effected with the nuts 13 .and springs 14 for compensating elastically the imequal forces imparted by the rings to the plate 24.

If it be desired toturn to the right, the

- pilot, with his foot, pushes the bar 34-35 Generally the pilot need not trouble about the losses of atmospheric equilibriumcaused by the flexibility of the connection between the wings and the steering plate 24, because if one Wing experiences an abnormal push or depression, it transmits a corresponding movement to the opposite` wing, thus restoring the ,equilibrium 7In order to increase the speed of the aeroplane, the general angleshof incidence of the wings must be diminished, and the power of the engines must be increased, inasmuch as proof would be obtained of the contrary at the cost of a descent; the reverse operations produce opposite effects.

Tio cause the aeroplane to rise, the power of the engine group and also the angle of the incidence of all the wings, are increased by means of the pulley 31, the ascent being then checked by reference to the horizontal fuselage. The front edge of the plate 24 may also be inclined upwards, and the engine power be increased and the machine will then rise with the fuselage inclined as in other machines. By executing the two operations there results a mixed inclination.

-In the descent the operations must be performed in the reverse direction.

For landing, the usual procedure can be adopted, but it is preferable to descend with the fuselage parallel with the ground and with the maximum amount of incidence of all the wings, which latter act in the case of this invention, as a powerful brake, keeping the engine running at normal speed uiitil the wheels take the ground. In this manner.

there is produced an extremely gentle tangential Contact with facility of risin again, inthe case of the pilot observing unoreseen obstacles, because by l'eepingthe engines running at full speed it is merely necessary to diminish the angle of incidence of the w1ngs, 1n order to rise rapidly -from the ground.

For turning to the left, thel As the aeroplane has come into contact with the ground with low velocity, the landing is effected slowly and, owing to the braking produced by the wings, it is suficient to pull the lever of the back wheel brakes to cause the aeroplane to stop as the result thereof.

Since the front wheels are-'capable of being steered any obstacles present on thel arrangement of'the wings, as well as the manner in which the points of support are distributed on the ground or on the wheels.

By the arrangement of the wings according to this invention, the usual great lengths of wings are dispensed with and the Weights are distributed more uniformly; horizontal rudders, equilibrators, etc., are dispensed with; and the saving in weight and resistanceto flight can be utilized to strengthen the others parts; this 'feature combined with the elastic suspension has the effect of greatly increasing the coefficient of safety at equal weights..`

The greater weight or greater moment of inertia corresponds at the fuselage of the aeroplane with the feature that the Wingsare light and are elastically articulated to the fuselage the wings yielding only to an abnormal thrust, with resulting smooth travel and suspension.

The effort required for handling the aeroplane'is very small, because ball bearings can be provided at all the joints, so that the wings are completely balanced by their being supported in the front third, and by each plane being connected to its opposite plane so as to produce counteracting forces upon the steering plate 24.

Since the forces acting upon the wings are balanced, and these all act like rudders it will be understood that the result is\the maximum of obedience of the aeroplane with a minimum of effort.

The distance between the wings is very great, and the small displacement of the.cen ter to Ipressure which they can undoubtedly undergo, does not affect the stability of the aeroplane. f

Any disturbance capable of influencing the flight of the aeroplane must be really of great magnitude, because the distribution of l the masses gives a large moment of inertia to the entire aeroplane, and because the wings are light and yield readily to atmospheric influences the disturbances are com-` it Will'be transmitted through the medium of the plate 24 which gives to the back wings a completely antagonistic movement with a tendency to cause the rear-part of the aeroplane to rise, thus effecting alight and balanced ascent of the same.

If the increase of pressure acts under the front right WingA and is small, it will be damped by the elastic translnission, and if itis great, by the pull of the plate 24, and

since the connection of the back left Wing corresponds to the opposite equidistant point of the line passing through the center of suspension, there is a corresponding compensating action, and therefore, neither in this case nor, similar cases will the aeroplane lose its equilibrium.

If the pressure is producedundernea-th all the Wings, and the inertia of the aeroplane -is great, the ends ofthe wings and the steering springs will yield, thus damping the' pressure without disturbing the 'equilibriu It is thus impossible for a breakage of the wings to occur by the Aaction of the air, 'because the rear third of the wings is flexible, and the connection between them and the body of the aeroplane is Lelastic, and they 'bear against strong steel axles.

Since the disturbances occurring during the flight of the aeroplane are counteracted,

the steering plate 24 can be leftto itself for long periods in order to avoid fatigue or forgiving attentionvto other objects, the steering being resumed when actualv orintentional disturbances occur.

If the steering plate be let go, the engines having stopped, .the aeroplane will loseweach time more of` its speed until a time when the thrust underneath the Wings being small, the spring .7 WillA actuate the plate 24:.until the latter meets the stops'l'? or 18 which give the proper inclination-of the normal plane.

Since thechange in the incidencetakes place onlyin the Wings, the fuselage of the aeroplane will always be steerable in the direction of travel and therefore it will offer a minimum.resist,nce tothe advance and .the screw propellersivill give a maximum 5 Jpower output.

' As the `aeroplane maintains a horizontal Withfixed Wings, because there is a freedoml from the danger of falling by reason of an exaggerated inclination of the fuselage of the aeroplanes, and because the proper plane is automatically re-established.

Since the transmissions are adjustable in full flight, and they can be combined With recording pressure gauges, the improved aeroplane is well adapted for very varied studies of angles of incidence inY relation to the power, the resistance to flight and other factors. n

It is impossible for the aeroplane to overgturn, because the landings are tangential,

the over-all height of the aeroplane is small, and the distance between the front and back wheels is great.

l. In an aeroplane, a frame, front and rear transverse axles arranged on each side of said frame, forward and rear lWings frame, means to permit the operator to move Vthe tube axially, a ball and socket joint carried` s bythe tube, a steering Wheel mounted on said joint so that it may be inclined in various directions. lrods connected to said wheel, and` links and levers connecting the rods to the wings, so as -to transmit to each group of-l Wings the movement corre- -sponding to the movement of the steering wheel. `l

f 3. In an aeroplane, affram'e, front and rear transverseaxles on each side of said frame, forward and rear Wings mounted on said axles for independent oscillation, an axially movabletube, rotatable means for raising and lowering said tube, aball carried by the tube, a steering Wheel having-a ,socket-arranged arloundv said ball, a spring v suspending said tube, means for tensloning said spring, and means connectlng the steen ing wheel tothe wings to permit the wings to be controlled from said wheel.

4. In an aeroplane, a frame, transverse front and rear axles projecting from the opposite sides of said frame, right and left groups of front wings and right and left groups of rear wings mounted on said axles for independent oscillation, a steering wheel capable of inclination and also capable of vertical movement, a system of rods and levers connecting said Wheel' with each one of the four groups of wings, a xed support, 'fo-ur springs having the1r ends connected to the fixed support and to the steering wheel, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs.

5. In an aeroplane having oscillating wings, a steering mechanism including an outer threaded tube, a rotatable threaded pulley engaging the threads of said tube for raising and lowering the tube, means to permit the operator to rotate said pulley, an inner tube slidably mounted in the outer tube, adjustable resilient means for suspending the inner tube Within the outer tube, a universal joint carried by the tube, a steering wheel mounted on the universal joint, and means for connecting the steering Wheel to the wings of the plane.

6. In 'ain aeroplane, a frame, front and rear transverse axlesv projecting from the opposite sides of said frame, forward right and left groups of wings and rear groups of right` and left Wings mounted on the axles for independent oscillation, a steering wheel capable of being inclined in any sense and also capable of. raising and lowering, means connecting the steering wheel with the four groups o Win so as to impart to theseilatter the inchnations determined by the movement of the steering wheel, a series of stops for limiting the upward movement of the `steering wheel, a series of sto s for limiting the downward movement o the wheel, said stops being arranged fore and aft and the forward stops being longer than the rear stops to permit the steering wheel to automatically steer the plane in case of accident.

7 .In airplanes the combination of a steering wheel mounted with a ball socket joint or center-piece, so as to be able to in.

cline itself in any sense; this steering wheel receiving the certain ends of the rods which on the steering wheel, in order to beiable to graduate at will the tension of the springs as well as the equilibrium o the steering wheel and the wings.

9. In airplanes, the improvement consisting in lixing the center-plece which sustains the steering wheel to a tube slidable in the interior of another tube threaded on the outside, said last tube and the center-piece being linked or connected by means of a spring which canbe graduated at will.

l0. Inv airplanes, the improvement consisting in applying asa nut for the threaded tube which supports elastically the centerpiece of the steering wheel, a pulley through the groove of which a cable runs, which is arranged so as to be near at hand for the 'pilot to be used, said pulley being mounted in a bracket of the framework or body of the aeroplane, so that on turning the pulley, the outer tube and consequently the steering Wheel rises and drops, motions which are transmited to the corres onding win s.

l1. In airplanes, thecom ination of t e support which sustains the steering mechanism with stops which limit the ascent of the steering wheel, and the combination of the external tube with stops that limit the descent of the steering wheel; the front-sup-l ports being lower than the rear-supports in order, for the sake of any average occuring, to cause the steering to lean against the indicated stops and the wings to take the suitable angle of incidence for the pur ose of automatically executing a gliding escent.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANCISCO VERDAGUER. 

